Dark Knight Rises Midnight Massacre: Tweets From Inside the Theater [Photos]

By Ariana Romero

This morning I was looking forward to hearing how much money The Dark Knight Rises took in at the midnight box office. Instead I was met with the headline that 14 people were killed during a Colorado midnight showing of the film. Something so exciting and awesome had turned dark in a matter of seconds.

When the gas filled the front of the Century 16 Movie Theater in Aurora, Colorado everyone thought it was for the show. Some say it was tear gas and others say it was smoke, but either way three survivors are being treated for chemical exposure. When the audience saw the man at the front of the room pointing a gun, who is now identified at 24-year-old James Holmes, they knew it wasn’t for fun anymore. Wearing a gas mask, riot helmet and bullet proof vest, Holmes started shooting randomly into the crowd. Reportedly, his home is also booby trapped and police say it could take up to days to disassemble everything before it is safe to enter.

According to police and TMZ’s ongoing report 12 people were killed, 50 others were injured and at least 15 of them are being treated at a local hospital. Some escaped once Holmes started to reload one of his four guns. President Obama and Warner Brothers have both released statements about the heart breaking massacre. The New York Police Department is amping up the security at movie theaters showing TDKR. 

Despite the gruesome scene, people who were in the theater at the time of the shooting were able to Tweet updates to their loved ones. Look below for the amazing minute-by-minute coverage.

CollegeCandy would like to say our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Aurora.